Inside U.K. High times in the U.K. By Richard Payne	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
High times in the U.K. 先月、ハリー王子の飲酒・マリファナ吸入が世界的に報じられ、ローカルテレビ局の記者である筆者も、王子が出入りしていたというパブを取材しました。イギリスでは、若年層の飲酒が増加しており、それに伴う問題も多く生じますが、王子の行動はあながち驚きや非難の対象ではなく、特に若者は理解を示しているようです。

This column has discussed before the fascination many people in this country have with one of the world's wealthiest and most famous families. From the Queen down, they are all supposed to be on their best behavior all of the time. Call it setting an example to the rest of their people, or so some supporters would tell you.

So when one of them is found to have "stepped out of line," everyone wants to know every detail, not least the national media. When Prince Harry, third in line to the throne and the Queen's youngest grandson, was reported to have been drinking alcohol under the legal age and to have smoked soft drugs, naturally enough, the media made the news their top story for several days.

Whether you agree with that policy or not — and there are plenty in Britain who say a 17-year-old boy should be left alone like anyone else his age, to grow up without the media spotlight on him — it was of little surprise that no news organization turned down the chance to report one of the biggest royal stories in years.

Quite what the reaction would be if anything like this ever happened in Japan, I don't know, but here, there's certainly no escape for anyone involved in the story, however small a part they had to play. The village in the county of Wiltshire, in which Harry was said to have been drinking and smoking cannabis, was the focus for the world's press, with cameras from Japan and America camped out on the doorstep of the local pub.

I joined them for the Monday after the weekend in which the story broke and a very long day it was, too. Most of it was spent hanging around in the street, talking to the local people — or rather, those who were willing to speak — but mainly just getting cold. Eventually, the owners of the pub, who weren't in charge of it when Harry was supposed to have committed his "crime," granted us an interview. They said Harry had visited the pub on several occasions, but always to have a soft drink with some friends.

The response of Harry's father, Prince Charles, to his son's alleged illegal activities last summer was to send him to visit a rehabilitation clinic to warn him of the dangers of taking harmful substances Eat whatever age.

Experts who work with juveniles and help them cope with the problems of growing up, say Charles faced "every parent's worst nightmare" in discovering that one of his children had taken drugs.

Sadly, in Britain, more and more parents are having to come to terms with the reality that their children are going to want to experiment with dangerous drugs, whether that drug is cannabis or alcohol or something else.

Research shows most teenagers begin experimenting at the age of just 14. For many, it's something they do just once, because they're curious or think it would be "big and clever" to tell their friends. But for others, the experiments become a habit and by the time they're 17, problems develop.

Government estimates claim the number of young people taking drugs at least once has shot up. Around 27 percent of 16 to 19-year-olds have tried drugs in the last year, the British Crime Survey 2001 revealed. A huge 42 percent have used drugs at some point in their lifetime. Perhaps, even more worrying, a survey of 11 to 15-year-olds last year found that 10 percent of boys and 8 percent of girls admitted to taking drugs.

In the U.K., at the moment, there are a number of people who say the government should make cannabis a legal substance to smoke, saying it eases the pain for those suffering from certain diseases, is not addictive and causes far fewer problems than drink.

In terms of underage drinking, it's true that in nearly every town and city the length and breadth of Britain, there will be thousands of young people out in pubs, bars and clubs drinking. While the majority will go home quietly after a good evening, others will cause trouble or even commit crimes with excessive levels of alcohol inside them.

I performed a mini-survey by asking some young people what attracts them to drink. Tom, an 18-year-old, admitted he started drinking two years ago. "A lot of my friends had tried it and there was pressure on me to do the same. I didn't like the taste at first, but you get used to it."

His friend, Andrew, added: "I don't think there's any harm in having a drink before you're 18, so long as it's not a lot and you don't become a heavy drinker. My dad drinks a lot and he's got a big stomach as a result. I know I don't want to get like that."

Most people weren't surprised to read about Prince Harry's underage drinking and didn't think it was that big a deal.

"He's like most of us," said Sarah. "We all want to grow up fast and we're curious to know what adults get up to. It doesn't sound to me as if he's done anything that bad. People should just leave him alone to grow up in private." I'm sure Prince Charles and the rest of the royal family would agree with that.

Shukan ST: Feb. 22, 2002

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